Shamsul Alam Takes Oath as State Minister for Planning

Former member (senior secretary) of the Planning Commission's General Economics Department (GED) Dr Shamsul Alam has been sworn in as the new state minister in the cabinet.

President Md Abdul Hamid administered the oath of office to him at Bangabhaban around 6:30 pm on Sunday (18 July). Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam conducted the function.

There are now 25 ministers in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet. Besides, 19 state ministers and three deputy ministers were serving in different departments. With the swearing in of Shamsul Alam, the number of state ministers increased to 20. As he is not a Member of Parliament, he is getting a place in the cabinet as a technocrat.

Shamsul Alam received his MSc in Agricultural Economics from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 1973, his MA in Economics from Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1983 and his PhD in Economics in 1991 from Newcastle of Tyne University in England.

In his working life he was involved in teaching at the School of Development Economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Humboldt University in Germany, Ghent University in Belgium and the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands.

The Government of Bangladesh awarded Shamsul Alam the Ekushey Padak, the second highest award in 2020 for his special contribution to the economy.